Portuguese (Beginners): Radhika Barchha Radia

Radhika, a credited student from Spain, studied Beginners' Portuguese at the University Language Centre (ULC).

Why did you choose to study a language at The University of Manchester?

It was available as an optional subject for credits in my course, and I just love to learn new languages.

In school we were obliged to do four languages for IGCSE, so it would feel a bit awkward not to study another language.

Apart from class time, how much time did you spend a week on your studies?

I think languages are something you study by talking to people. I have family in Portugal and Mozambique, so whenever I talked to them, I made sure I practised some Portuguese.

How did you find your course in terms of level?

I did beginners' level, so it was quite easy to learn the basics.

I already know many other languages, so I knew roughly how hard studying a new language is.

What did you most enjoy about your course?

The classes were interactive and I always looked forward to attending them, because it was a bit of a change to just studying sciences all day.

I found it very interesting that people from a variety of courses and years could join in to learn Portuguese.

Have you been able to put your newly acquired language skills to use outside the classroom? If so, please tell us how.

Yes. I live in the Canary Islands, so I did manage to talk with some Portuguese tourists visiting the island. I find that the tourists feel more at home if we talk to them in their own language.

What advice would you give to someone intending to study a language at the University Language Centre?

If you feel you want to learn a new language, then do so.

There is nothing more satisfying than to know different languages and being able to communicate with people of different nationalities. Also, you get to know different cultures and traditions of different countries.